2010 Dawns

Day: December 31, 2009

Time: 1200 hrs IST

Overheard from the neighboring bays

Voice A: Dude, what plans tonight?

Voice B: Usual… Go home, dinner, TV, Gtalk and bed

Voice A: But today is the New Year’s Eve!!!

Voice B: So?

Voice A: You mean to say NO celebrations?

Voice B: How does that would change my life? My miseries? My anxieties? How does a change in

calendar will make me a better person? The office would be the same, the traffic jams would be

the same and so would be every other thing...

There was silence...

A screaming silence…

I left for thinking about the conversation I heard...

It pinched deep within...

We all know, the things will all be the same doesn’t matter if its December 31, 2009 or January 1, 2010...

Despite that the optimist inside us dares to dream...

Dare to make things better...

Dare to change the world...

With that hope, dare and "inspired" by Voice A & B, I decided to resolute for a better tomorrow...

A tomorrow which will see happy faces all around...

There won’t be any cribs...

There won’t be any hatred...

There won’t be any sorrows...

Diet, Exercise, No extravagance, No breaking traffic rules, No cheating etc… etc… etc...

NONE...

NONE of these stand as my New Year resolution...

I keep to the basics...

I resolute to be a better human being this year...

A person who is etched as a "human" in everyone's hearts and soul...

A "human" who compels everyone to look within and say "hey, it’s not that bad a thing to be "human" after all!!”

Come January 1, 2010 I resolute not to hurt any species who breathes...

Be it animals, vegetation and the Homo sapiens...

That doesn’t mean I would give in to all undue whims and fancies of the world

But, any act to which my conscious says "dude, that going to hurt" would be kept aside...

I personally believe, if you do good, good will come to you sooner than later...

And if each one of us be like that, the world will become a better place to live in...

No, I am not being philosophical...

If a good HR policy can make the office a better place to work at, then a good "human" policy can make the world a better place to live in...

Its the people who make difference...

If HR can do for an organization, we can do it for the world...

So..

Here I am...

Standing by the beach...

As the clock strikes 12...

As 2010 knocks...

As the sun rises above the horizon...

As the new dawn beacons...

I, Ashish Bhatnagar, resolute to be a better human being...

And hope the wave spreads...

And hope 2010 makes the world a happier merrier place to be in...

And hope the smile fathoms...

Amen

MBA - The GLOBAL One

Life has taken a full circle...

Almost...

Done with the fast forward MBA and to think about it, it DOES make a difference...

Not only on your visiting card but on YOU, the human as a whole...

1 year...

2 countries...

2 pole apart cultures...

104 insane partners in crime...

A dozen "coordinators" and "facilitators"...

And you know you have done it... :)

I might still not know the difference between CAPEX and OPEX...

I might still not know why Dubai is a rampant economy... ;)

But I definitely know how not to give up...

I definitely know how to keep sanity in place when it all seems shattered and scatterd...

I definitely know how to keep faith and belief...

I definitely know how to tolerate narcissism, cynicism, criticism and of course bull shitism...

One of my friends mentioned in his blog about (re)learning the lesson on team dynamics and human relations...

I believe that HAS to be the BEST take away from the course...

You learn it the best when you are thrown in the dungeon(read einstein den) with people of all different wavelengths...

SPJCM makes sure you learn THAT atleast, even if you hate it to the core...

Equipped with another feather in cap, as I stand on the verge of starting the corporate life all over again...

I hope to make it better than it ever was...

I hope to excel...

I hope NOT to be in THE list EVER again...

I hope to make it worth all the pain...

Amen...

All in a Day's Work

It happened a few weeks earlier with the ex-president...

It happened a few days earlier with the so called heartthrob...

Both were bothered during the security roundups...

One was made to undergo routine...

Other was made to undergo randomness...

Media went berserk...

Politicians forgot there is drought looming over the nation...

Leaders demanded apologies...

All in a days work...

Am not here to comment over the security procedures of an airlines, not the madness of the check-in process of certain nation...

Am not here to be judgemental over treatment imparted...

But am surely would comment on the ways the person concerned gestured afterwards...

One of them rubbed it off saying it to be routine check...

Other went on rounds of interview clarifying doubts, allegations and endless blah blah blah....

If anything that can be learned from the incident, it would be humility...

Why make hue and cry over certain routine procedures...

Millions are frisked daily...

So what I am the ex-president of a country ???

Dont you the know the "ex"es are not treated royally...

Be it the "ex" girlfriend, "ex" husband or "ex" anything....

Same goes for the president too...

Open and shut...

And he did that with grace...

The other one on the other hand...

Did rounds to one news channel, the other news channel and then other news channel till he made sure the entire nation's jobless crowd is talking about it...

Am simply out of words to describe the idiocies of the so called superstar...

Somethings are rather left unsaid...

But we need to do something over assumed "royalness" by some...

And the leaders/media should make sure, page 3 gossips remain at page 3...

We got better things to worry at...

Hopefully....

Obituary

Why did Rafael Nadal, the king of clay lost ???

Overconfidence ??
Lack of sleep night before ??
Grit of the opponent ??
Health ??
Injury ??

All bull shit...

There was something strikingly different in Nadal this year...
And am not talking about his game...

It was his attire...

Why the f*** in this world he decided to wear sleeves ??

Believe it or not...
Its the sleeved T shirt...
Nothing else...

For 4 years we witnessed those bulging biceps, raw power and in your face attitude...
Even he knew it...
The moment he decided to dress a little "conservatively", he paid the price...
He himself was able to see them in those famous fist ups...

Battle was more than lost already...

Moreover...
PINK ????????

And that green headband (or fluorescent yellow as some of you might call it)...
It was a signal...
Its green, go over me...
As long as it was RED, there wasn't any stopping him...

All sport pundits and analysts, please stop breaking your heads over the loss...
It was that loose, sleeved, pink T shirt...
Get him a fitting sleeve less and he will win again...

A plead for all those Federer fans(including me)...
Please find a way for making him wear sleeves in Wimbledon also...
And for that matter ALL the time...
At least till the time Federer retires...

Not that Federer CANT beat him, but with every passing day it is getting as difficult as India making it to the FIFA...

With both Nadal and Djokovic out, this probably is the BEST chance for Federer to get his 14th grand slam and get the ever elusive French Open in his kitty...

That's a different story altogether, that Fed-Rafa finals are a treat to eyes and quality of tennis is unmatched...
And the real celebrations would be him beating Rafa in finals...

But with Fedex ending up on the loosing side most of the times...
I rather would watch yesteryear's highlights for the feast...

IPL 3... Where ???

Overheard at the local mall parking...
"The IPL 3 should also happen at SA or England..."

He obviously was mesmerised with the opening and closing ceremonies...
And was dumbstuck with the proficiency, Cricket SA organised the event in a notice of 21 days...

Agreed it was a very well organized event...
But at the end of the day it is INDIAN premiere league...
We moved SA only coz of a fuck up back home...

Dont get mesmerized with white skin and dazzling fireworks...
It just came with the package...

The heart of cricket lies in India...
Doesnt matter how many barbecue pits you make in the park...
The REAL passion is witnessed only here...

A six, has to be appreciated with noise, screams and passion...
Not with silent applaud (a.k.a. England)...
So much for the gentleman's game...

If infrastructure is the only thing you are looking at...
Then USA would have been the best place to organize any event...
But just the way American football or baseball has no takers otherwise...
Cricket would not be welcomed there...

Its an Indian concept...
Let it stay in India...

If you want to see more of Wanderers and Kingsmead...
Wait till SA start its own league...

Till then hail Chinnaswamy and Eden Gardens...